Original subtitles

TOYAMA STATION

-Hey. -Hey.

What is it?

I didn't choose this. Mom did.

Pink.

Shut up.

-I'll take it. -Thanks.

TSUCHIDA

I'm home.

-Where's Mom? -Hawaii.

Hawaii?

What is she, a celebrity?

Linking celebrities and Hawaii is so outdated.

She apparently won something at the neighborhood raffle.

Neighborhood raffle? Now that's outdated.

I came all the way back home and you're the only one here?

-Nana is here too. -Oh yeah, Dog.

-Don't call her Dog. -Dog. I'm back home, Dog.

Nana.

-Have you been well? -Aren't you happy she's back, Nana?

You've been doing well? Nana.

Tokyo Banana.

Come here.

Good girl, good girl.

Thank you.

I'm going out for drinks tonight.

With friends from high school? Or middle school?

High school.

Oh…

Does that mean Shibasaki will be there?

Don't know. Probably.

Woo-hoo.

You're an idiot.

Woo-hoo.

What?

So hot.

So annoying.

Thanks for waiting.

Here's the rolled eggs.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Here you go.

By the way, is he coming?

-Shibasaki? -Yeah.

He said he's going to be a little late.

I see.

You haven't seen him since you graduated?

I think so.

Then it's been about ten years.

You were 18 back then, and now you're 28.

You're right.

I don't think I really know what happened.

Why did you and Shibasaki break up?

Idiot! Stop asking questions like that.

Oh right. It's better to wait until both of them are here together, huh?

That's even worse.

It's all right, I don't mind.

Oh. You don't mind talking about it?

Why is it a taboo subject?

It's a fact that we were dating,

and there was nothing wrong with breaking up, right?

-I guess so. -Yeah.

See? You're the one who's being too self-conscious.

And Shibasaki has been dating Saki for three years now.

Oh, you didn't know?

Maybe that was taboo.

-See? -No, I knew.

I get all the news from Takuya.

He tells me even when I don't ask.

Takuya? It's been so long. How's he doing?

-He's doing well. -Really?

-Sorry I'm late. -Hey.

-Glad you made it. -Thanks.

You made it.

Sit down.

-You were late. -So late.

What do you want to drink?

-I'll have beer. -Beer.

Excuse me.

-Yes? -Can we have one beer…

-Two. -Two beers.

I want a highball please.

Three beers and one highball please.

Three beers and one highball.

-Okay. -Thank you.

-You're late. -Sorry.

All right.

Now that Shibasaki is here, let's officially raise our glasses.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

It seems like you're as busy as usual.

Yeah, thankfully.

Do you know what Shibasaki is doing right now?

-Yeah, an architect, right? -Yeah.

You knew already, huh?

How did you know? Oh, it must be Takuya.

He tells me things even when I don't ask.

I see.

We still play soccer together sometimes.

-So I hear. -Yeah.

Then Shibasaki, do you know…

Know what?

What Ayana does for work?

You're a novelist, right?

I saw your novel at a bookstore by the station. It's amazing.

Not at all.

I still work part-time at a second-hand clothing store.

-Is that right? -Yeah.

Oh that reminds me.

I was planning to ask later,

but I'll probably forget if I get drunk, so…

What?

Can you sign these please?

This is so embarrassing.

-You really bought my novels? -Of course!

-Thank you. -Can you sign mine too?

Mine too please.

Really?

Hold on, am I the only one

without her novels?

-I'm sorry. -Don't worry about it.

You didn't buy it?

You should've told me beforehand.

This goes without saying.

Of course this goes without saying.

-Wow. -Nice.

So cool.

AYANA TSUCHIDA

Nice!

My first ever autograph.

Yes, that's right.

Um… well… please hold on one second.

The kid's room is available.

No, let's go somewhere else.

Thank you, but we'll look somewhere else.

Thanks for waiting. It's so cold.

-Yeah, it's so cold. -It's freezing.

What about that place above the bowling alley?

We're going karaoke. Want to come?

-Yeah, I'll go. -Okay.

What about you, Shibasaki?

-I guess I'll go too. -Nice.

Everyone's coming.

-Okay. -Are there rooms available?

-It's open? -Really?

Yes.

For five people, please.

Yes.

Yes, thank you.

Yes.

Yes, we'll be heading there now.

Thank you.

All right.

-Very nice. -Good job.

Let's sing one together.

-What about this one? -Yeah.

-So? -How about this?

Why did you two break up?

You're going to ask that now?

Who cares why they broke up?

You guys want to know?

Yes, I do.

Can I tell them?

I don't mind.

Then Masao, you tell them.

What? Me?

You know the whole story.

Yeah, I do, but…

I don't think I'm the right person to talk about it

when you two are here.

Fine, just correct me if I get it wrong.

This might be just my perspective.

Okay.

Well, the reason why

they broke up is quite simple.

When Ayana went to university, she moved to Tokyo

and it became a long-distance relationship.

And then?

That's it.

What? Why? What do you mean?

Apparently, Shibasaki freaked out.

About what?

Tokyo, and also just simply the distance.

Hey, explain it yourself!

He's right. I freaked out. Over the long distance.

That's all.

-Isn't it hilarious? -No it's not.

Do you have anything to add?

Anything to add?

Let's see.

Well, personally,

I had intended to continue our relationship,

even if I went to university and we had to live far from each other.

But then Shibasaki said

that he might not be able to have a long-distance relationship.

I wondered why,

and so we talked about it…

We discussed it a lot, huh?

Yes, we did.

And we decided to break up.

I think that's it.

You didn't add any extra details.

Why would I give you all the details?

Plus, I don't remember. It's been ages.

That's right.

You know…

It's kind of…

What is it? What's going on, Masao?

Well…

I'm just glad.

What do you mean?

Well, because I thought the time would never come

when the two of you could meet like this again.

You're getting way too emotional, Masao.

No need to get all emotional.

Because…

Shibasaki

was full of regrets back then.

Afterwards, he kept saying, "I did the worst thing possible."

"I'll never get a girlfriend again."

"I'll never be able to find someone

I like more than Ayana."

That's enough.

Around the first summer as a university student,

remember how you went to the shrine every morning, praying that Ayana

would be able to find a nice boyfriend?

And every time you played soccer with Takuya, you'd ask him

if Ayana had a boyfriend.

But she didn't have one for a long time.

If you say anything more, you're dead.

And when you finally heard that Ayana had a boyfriend,

you were so relieved.

You said you could finally move on too.

But you heard that they broke up soon after,

and so you went to the shrine again.

You're so stupid.

You're going to tell them everything? You're spilling it all out?

Does this mean you still like Ayana?

How did you reach that conclusion?

Harada, you've got it all wrong.

He's not that kind of a guy.

He really cherishes Saki.

Even today, he told Saki that he might potentially meet up with Ayana

and got her permission--

That's enough. You've said enough.

You're an idiot.

We're done with this topic.

Masao, that was probably something you shouldn't have told me.

Let's end this. We're done. Let's sing.

Who wants to sing next?

I'll sing.

What? You just sang the last one.

I'm going to sing.

Someone, sing with me.

-Or let's all sing together. -Okay.

What is it?

But really,

timing is important when it comes to love, isn't it?

Timing, huh…

I guess so.

Hey!

Give me a break.

Yasumoto, you're an idiot too!

You guys are all ganging up on me!

Timing is important, isn't it?

Both with love and life.

It's all about timing.

Yes, timing.

It's all about timing.

You're drunk. Totally drunk.

Yes, definitely drunk.

Hey, it's a little…

Hey, sorry…

-For what? -Their teasing.

I don't mind.

Ayana,

do you have time to spare?

What?

I want to talk to you about something.

Okay.

All right, let's go.

What did you want to talk about?

Oh, yeah.

I'm most likely going to be transferred to Tokyo.

Really? Starting when?

It hasn't been confirmed yet,

but it could be as early as April.

Wow, that's around the corner.

Yeah.

But I have a girlfriend here.

-Saki. -Yeah.

Is Saki going to Tokyo with you?

No, Saki is working here, so that's not going to happen.

-I see. -At least not right away.

What does Saki do for work?

-Hair stylist. -What? No way.

My current boyfriend is a hair stylist too.

Really?

Then does your boyfriend cut your hair?

Yeah. Your girlfriend cuts yours?

-Yeah. -This is so funny.

Then you'll be in a long-distance relationship again.

Yeah.

Will you be able to do it this time?

Well, yeah…

-About that… -Yeah?

For some reason, I feel like I can definitely do it this time.

I see.

Unlike the time with you.

I see.

Well, what I mean to say is that

I can do it now because of what happened back then.

And my age plays a part too.

That makes sense.

Even if it doesn't work out in the end, I still want to give it a try.

Yes, please do that.

Is that what you wanted to tell me?

-Yeah. -Okay.

I don't want to find out that you heard through Takuya,

and that you're wondering why I can do it now when I was scared of it before.

Right?

I mean, it's not like I'm obligated to tell you either, but…

No, I wouldn't think like that.

I know.

But I still wanted to make sure I told you in person.

Of course, I'm not in high school anymore,

and even if this was my first long-distance relationship,

I might've been surprisingly okay with it.

But I'm certain that I didn't immediately consider breaking up this time,

because of that experience we shared together.

But you never know, right?

Even if we hadn't broken up back then,

I might have ended up falling for someone else in Tokyo

and broken up with you.

In that case,

breaking up back then might have been the right decision after all.

You're right.

It's all about timing.

Timing, huh?

But seriously, what was up with Yasumoto?

Yeah.

What about you, Ayana?

Are you happy right now?

You have a boyfriend, right?

Yeah, I do.

I'm happy.

I'm glad.

I'm just glad to hear that.

You don't have to go to the shrine now.

Hey, stop that.

Hey, if you're up for it,

let's grab a meal or something in Tokyo sometime.

Oh, just as friends, of course.

If the timing is right, that is.

Okay. I'll think about it.

-Until next time. -Bye.

Oh, but I might ask Saki first.

I want to make sure she's okay with it.

Of course, please do that.

Let's not do it, if it'll bother Saki.

Thank you.

Likewise.

-Bye. -Bye.

Oh, you were still awake?

-Hey, welcome back. -Thanks.

-I'm going to sleep now. -Okay.

-Hey. -How was it?

It was fun.

-Shibasaki was there, right? -Yeah.

Was he cool?

He was cool.

I hear he's moving to Tokyo.

You know that too?

By the way, you give him way too much information.

About what?

You were telling him whether I had a boyfriend or not

when I was in university, right?

You guys actually talked about that?

Well, not that we wanted to, but it just happened.

Masao got way too drunk.

Oh yeah, he's uncontrollable.

He always cries when he drinks too.

But it was still fun.

I'm glad I got to talk to him about a lot of things.

-That's good. -Yeah.

-But… -Yeah?

I told a lot of lies too.

-Lies? -Yeah.

Maybe it's fine as long as it's a justifiable lie?

Yeah.

-I'm going to sleep now. -Okay.

-Good night. -Good night.

SHU SHIBASAKI

YUKIO SAIKI

It's starting to rain, huh?

What should we do about your walk?

Hey, Nana.

Can I go by myself?

Until next time.

Thanks for waiting.

Hello?

Hello. This is Shibasaki.

Hey, what's up?

Until when will you be in town?

Um… the first, I think.

I'll go back after New Year's.

-Why? -Okay.

What is it?

Can we meet tomorrow?

Before you leave.

Sometime before the evening.

Sure, I can do that.

Really?

Then I'll come pick you up at 1:00 p.m.

Okay.

Thanks. Then see you tomorrow.

Okay. See you.

Let's go.

Here's your order.

Thank you.

Thank you for waiting.

Thank you.

-I'll take these. -Thanks.

Sorry to take your time when we just met the day before yesterday.

It's okay.

What's wrong?

Well…

Yeah?

-Saki… -Yeah?

She said she can't do long-distance.

What?

And she said,

"If you're going to Tokyo, I want to break up."

Wait…

-Does that… -Yeah?

Does that have anything to do with me being in Tokyo?

Oh, I highly doubt that.

-Oh, it doesn't, huh? -Yeah.

-During our third year of high school… -Yeah?

Back then, I said that I couldn't do long-distance,

and you said,

"Is long-distance such a deal breaker?"

-Do you remember? -I remember that.

I don't know exactly

how you felt when you said that,

but I agree with those words right now.

Distance is nothing.

But

I don't know how to convey those feelings to her in a way that will convince her.

So,

staying here and not moving, isn't an option?

-For me to stay here? -Yeah.

That probably won't happen.

Is your current job something

that you can only do in Tokyo?

You have a license as an architect, right?

I do have a license…

But I'm just an employee.

It's not a matter of whether I can do it here

or only in Tokyo.

And plus, I like my current job.

More than your girlfriend?

More than my girlfriend?

It's not something I can compare.

Didn't we have this same conversation in high school?

Although our roles were reversed.

I asked you to choose between me and the university in Tokyo.

I was really a jerk, huh?

Saki moving to Tokyo and working as a hair stylist isn't an option either?

No, at least not right away.

That's so hard.

But…

You really like her, huh?

Yeah, I do.

-Is long-distance really that difficult? -What?

Not being able to meet in person,

or living near each other…

Is that something that can cause people

to fall in love or break up?

You know…

It's just that…

The truth is,

I wish we could be more deeply connected emotionally

and have trust in each other.

-Yeah. -Yeah.

Wondering if she doesn't trust me that much,

made me feel empty inside.

I can tell you this now because I've been able to move on,

but after I broke up with you,

I regretted it for a very long time.

I don't want to lose anything else

to distance anymore.

Why don't you honestly tell her how you feel?

You can use our past relationship as an example.

What do you mean?

You can tell her, "A long time ago, I was scared

of long-distance relationships,

so I broke up with my girlfriend without even giving it a try."

"So, I completely understand how you feel."

Yeah.

"I broke up with her without even trying to make it work."

"But maybe we could have stayed together if we had tried."

"Now, I have the confidence to make it work despite the distance."

"So please believe in me."

Try telling her that.

If the moments of regret that we experienced

can ultimately benefit the relationship with your current girlfriend,

then nothing would make me happier.

Thank you.

I'm back.

Takuya?

I'll be spending New Year's at Yusuke's house.

If you'd like, there's an instant toshikoshi soba.

Please enjoy. Takuya.

Happy New Year.

Nana.

Let's ring in the new year together.

I came back to my family's home.

Despite making the effort to come here,

I ended up spending New Year's with the dog.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Happy new year!

-Hello. -Hello.

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year.

Looking forward to the new year with you.

Me too.

Are you at your family's home right now? Are you with your family?

No, I'm by myself.

No, I'm with someone else.

What? You're with someone else?

-Yeah. -Your younger brother?

Your mom?

Bye, Nana.

I'll drive you to the station.

No, it's all right. I want to walk.

Take care.

-You too. -Thanks.

Shibasaki and Saki

had a discussion, and they apparently decided

not to break up for the time being,

and to try a long-distance relationship.

They agreed that if it didn't work out,

they would break up.

That was the conclusion they reached.

It's unclear whether Shibasaki mentioned our past relationship to Saki.

Shibasaki said, "It wouldn't be right

to make her unnecessarily jealous, and besides,

you and Saki are different people."

But he also said, "Thank you."

BUSINESS WILL RESUME ON THE EVENING OF JANUARY 4TH

Long-distance, huh?

Is the hardest thing about long-distance

the fact that there's no physical contact?

I wonder.

I don't think it's just that.

I'm sure you sometimes just want to see each other.

Or want to eat together.

But I think the desire for sex

and the desire for physical contact play a big role.

Yeah,

I guess so.

The other day, I was talking with Reina.

She's alloromantic asexual like me.

Reina said,

"A long-distance relationship

is pretty ideal for me."

Is that because it doesn't require physical contact?

Exactly.

I see.

-That's interesting. -Yeah.

So, it's the opposite for us.

Of course, long-distance relationships can be lonely.

But the fact that there's no touching or kissing,

yet your hearts are still connected,

is the ideal situation.

She said that of course, it would be best to have someone close by

who doesn't require any physical contact.

Is that how you feel too?

I kind of understand it.

But I'd feel lonely if I can't see that person.

That's just me.

You haven't seen him ever since?

Nope.

But we sometimes talk on the phone.

We wished each other a happy new year.

-I see. -Yeah.

Do you want to see him?

Yeah. Of course.

You do, huh?

You're so honest.

Yeah, I'm being honest.

Um… Ms. Ayana.

I'm very sorry about the other day.

I'm sorry too.

Please enjoy this.

-Really? -Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

En, would you like to drink as well?

Yes please.

-All right. I'll get a cup. -Wait.

Okay.

Wachi, what happened with Yuki after that?

Oh, Yuki?

Well, we made up.

What? But she fell in love with someone else, right?

Oh yeah, but she was dumped. So she came back to me.

You're okay with that?

-Welcome back. -Thank you.

Happy new year.

Happy new year.

How's the ozoni?

-It's really good. -It's the best.

You know,

why do we only eat mochi at New Year's when it's so delicious?

Because it's seasonal.

Seasonal?

Mochi is a seasonal food?

Yeah.

Can you harvest mochi from a field?

-Yeah. -You're an idiot.

Yours is stretchy.

-Mine isn't stretchy at all. -How many more can you eat?

How many more?

Two?

-Four. -We're such pigs.

Six in total? Or four total?

-Four? -Four total.

-Two each? -Four total please.

I see.

I'm glad you got to take it easy.

How about you, Kotaro?

I was working the whole time.

On New Year's Eve and New Year's?

I'm in customer service after all.

A lot of people want to get their hair done nicely to welcome the new year.

I see.

Oh, I met my ex-boyfriend in my hometown.

-I see. Your ex-boyfriend? -Yeah.

You met him in private?

No, it was like a mini reunion.

I see.

And then?

Was he as cool as you remembered him to be?

Yeah, he was cool as ever.

I see.

By the way, your face is a little puffy. Did you gain weight?

Huh?

You're the worst.

No, I was just worried about you. That's all.

You're a jerk.

Oh, I'm sorry. Never mind, you're not puffy, after all.

Why would you say things like that?

Well, it just seemed a little puffy, so…

So I am puffy, huh?

SEN YAMADA

What?

What? Huh?

Hello.

Hello.

Happy new year.

Happy new year.

Can you talk right now?

Yeah.

It's been a while.

Really? It hasn't been that long.

I guess so.

Yeah.

What's up? What is it?

Nothing in particular.

I was just thinking that you're probably back in town.

Yeah, I'm back.

Did you have fun back in your hometown?

Did you see your ex-boyfriend?

Yeah, I did. I saw him.

I see.

-So… -Yeah?

He's going out with his junior from high school,

but he really likes her.

I see.

Even now, he's really sincere…

Sincere?

Or more like genuine, and…

Yeah?

And it kind of

made me think about a lot of things.

Did you make comparisons with your current self?

Yeah, that too, and…

Did you think, "Since when did I become like this?"

Yeah, kind of.

Just a lot of things.

I see.

But

I think

you have your own unique charm just the way you are right now.

Really?

If you had just

followed your heart and lived without any regrets,

I think that would have been charming in its own way.

But I think

there's also a unique charm

to your current self, who's struggling,

living life a bit awkwardly,

and has a heart that is a little rough around the edges.

Yeah, I guess you have a point.

Yeah.

But what about the other side of the coin?

The other side?

Yeah, like,

did you find him somewhat lacking, for being sheltered in his hometown,

or maybe find him just a little immature?

You need to stop that.

I guess you did.

You really need to stop that.

Why would you even say that?

I just had an inkling.

Yes, I did feel that way a little.

Would you like anything?

Um…

No, I'm okay. Oh, but I'm done with these.

I'll take that.

Hey there.

You're drunk.

Yes, I'm drunk. Thanks for letting me in.

Here.

Thanks.

-Did you have fun? -Yeah.

Is my face puffy?

I can't tell if it's puffy.

But I can tell you're drunk.

-It's not puffy, right?! -You're so drunk.

I'm taking a shower.

Oh, I'm washing all the towels.

-Let's take a shower together. -No, I already took a shower.

-Join me. -No, I won't.

-Join me. -No, I won't.

While living in Tokyo,

I have a very different love life than Shibasaki.

It's not just our love lives,

but our lifestyles, our way of living,

and our view of happiness,

might be completely different as well.

THIS DRAMA IS FICTIONAL

Subtitle translation by: Lili Morita